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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:24 PM CDT
Looking for Lincoln sign placed in Oakland

By the JG/T-C
editorial@jg-tc.com

OAKLAND — Travelers who are “Looking for Lincoln” can now find him in Oakland.

A “Looking for Lincoln” sign about the Matson slave trial was recently installed in front of the historic Dr. Hiram Rutherford House along Illinois Route 133. Landmarks Inc., which owns and operates the house, has scheduled a brief dedication ceremony for 10 a.m. Saturday at the new sign.

“It’s a nice sign that tells our story and our connection to Lincoln through the Matson slave trial,” said Kathy Pardi, president of Landmarks.

The sign tells of the only instance in his legal career in which Lincoln represented a slave owner. Robert Matson brought slaves from Kentucky to work his farm north of what is now Oakland. One of the slave families was sheltered with the help of Rutherford in 1847 and ultimately won their freedom in court.

“We are pretty excited. The sign looks really good,” said Rebecca Coon, a Landmarks board member. “We are just so excited to be part of that whole program of getting the signs.”

Other new “Looking for Lincoln” signs in Coles County were installed in September on Broadway Avenue near the railroad depot in Mattoon, on the courthouse square in Charleston, and at the Thomas Lincoln/Shiloh Cemetery.

Landmarks plans to join with the Oakland Historical Foundation and Independence Pioneer Village to present theatrical performances in September 2009 titled, “Trial & Tribulations: The Story of the 1847 Matson Slave Trial.” Pardi said the performances will be part of the bicentennial celebration of Lincoln’s birth.

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